Example sentences of "the [num ord] thing to be " in BNC.
Next page| No | Sentence |
|---|---|
| 1 | Given the propensity of many modern breweries and their designers to impose an overall , single-period ‘ look ’ , however , the Georgian fabric that does exist is often the first thing to be swept away — to make way for a sham-Victorian world of clumsy stained glass and ugly stained hardwood . |
| 2 | Then we all started demanding cheap food and the first thing to be sacrificed , along with the freedom of a chicken to scratch for worms , was flavour . |
| 3 | In any study being undertaken , the first thing to be done is the obvious one of finding out what organisations exist and whether they are part of a national body — such as the Women 's Institute , Mothers ' Union , Guides or Scouts — or purely local , such as the Film Club or the Debating Society . |
| 4 | The first thing to be said about Bateman is that he was a Londoner ! |
| 5 | Victory , perhaps to their own surprise , now seemed almost within the invaders ' grasp but at a Council of War , held at the prince 's headquarters in Exeter House , Derby , on the morning of Thursday 5 December , Lord George Murray , whose tactics so far had been masterly , astounded his fellow-commanders by remarking that ‘ the first thing to be spoken of was how far it was prudent to advance further ’ . |
| 6 | The first thing to be said in reply is a familiar Popperian theme : a clearly articulated hypothesis , which fails to match the facts in certain specifiable ways , can be a crucial stage in the development of a more satisfactory scientific understanding . |
| 7 | Down on the ground the first thing to be heard is a distant squeal , and a sharp-sighted man might just discern a black dot like a bird high in the sky . |
| 8 | The first thing to be said is that the ‘ circumstantial variables ’ of a president 's incumbency may give him important advantages . |
| 9 | The first thing to be done is to draw up a list of such works to be read in school . " |
| 10 | The first thing to be clear about is that sex is a natural instinct : we are born as sexual beings . |
| 11 | And the first thing to be said is that , on their own , beliefs do n't cause actions . |
| 12 | The first thing to be said in relation to the merits of the appeal is that none of the parties to the appeal , all represented here today , opposes it . |
| 13 | The first thing to be said about it is that , whatever background you choose , it must mesh in well with the murder plot . |
| 14 | The first thing to be said about mistake is that it does not usually provide a defence , for liability in conversion is strict : |
| 15 | I mean , I think one , the first thing to be said is that one can assure members covering all the other C A B's was that they actually got their bids in full . |
| 16 | The first thing to be done is to make more precise the role of the tonic syllable in the tone-unit . |
| 17 | I 've had three goes at it , and I can tell you that looks are the last thing to be considered ; it 's what 's underneath that matters in the long run . |
| 18 | But the next thing to be said was ‘ Thank you very much ’ in German , as quickly as possible . |
| 19 | This being impossible , the next thing to be wished for is that , at every instant , seeing reason to believe as much , and not being able to satisfy himself to the contrary , he should conceive himself to be so " ( emphasis in original ) . |